Climate Corps Student Intern, SUNY Office of Sustainability
Location: Albany, NY Category: Student Assistant Positions Posted On: Fri Apr 3 2026 Job Description:
The SUNY Office of Sustainability and Climate Action seeks a motivated intern in our Albany office with an interest in sustainability, climate action, and geospatial analysis to support systemwide campus initiatives across New York State. This position will focus on the development, maintenance, and public presentation of GIS-based maps and tools, including ArcGIS Online maps and ArcGIS StoryMaps, with an emphasis on campus facilities and student engagement activities.
The intern will also support a broad range of sustainability and climate initiatives, including data collection, aggregation, analysis, policy and program support, and communications. The intern will gain hands-on experience working in a professional public-sector environment and will contribute directly to SUNY's implementation of the SUNY Climate and Sustainability Action Plan, Executive Order 22, and related state initiatives.
This is an excellent opportunity for a student to develop technical, analytical, and communication skills while building a professional network across SUNY and partner state agencies.
The position is posted for the Summer of 2026 with an option to continue into Fall.
Key Duties And Responsibilities
Required Qualifications
The SUNY Office of Sustainability and Climate Action seeks a motivated intern in our Albany office with an interest in sustainability, climate action, and geospatial analysis to support systemwide campus initiatives across New York State. This position will focus on the development, maintenance, and public presentation of GIS-based maps and tools, including ArcGIS Online maps and ArcGIS StoryMaps, with an emphasis on campus facilities and student engagement activities.
The intern will also support a broad range of sustainability and climate initiatives, including data collection, aggregation, analysis, policy and program support, and communications. The intern will gain hands-on experience working in a professional public-sector environment and will contribute directly to SUNY's implementation of the SUNY Climate and Sustainability Action Plan, Executive Order 22, and related state initiatives.
This is an excellent opportunity for a student to develop technical, analytical, and communication skills while building a professional network across SUNY and partner state agencies.
The position is posted for the Summer of 2026 with an option to continue into Fall.
Key Duties And Responsibilities
- GIS Mapping and Visualization (Primary Focus for the Summer)
- Create and maintain ArcGIS Online maps and ArcGIS StoryMaps for public-facing use; maintain past projects currently live.
- Examples may include maps with locations of geothermal systems, renewable energy infrastructure, and related decarbonization projects across SUNY campuses; or StoryMaps of student projects and awards including data demonstrating positive impact.
- Coordinate with SUNY campuses to collect, validate, and standardize spatial and non-spatial data for mapping purposes.
- Ensure maps and StoryMaps are clear, accurate, accessible, and suitable for public audiences. SUNY adheres to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Reference: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
- Support documentation and version control for GIS datasets and mapping products.
- Maintain and add to maps that have already been created and available to the public by incorporating additional information using the current framework.
- Assist with data collection, organization, and analysis for energy and sustainability programs across SUNY campuses. Prepare reports as needed.
- Support tracking of:
- Energy efficiency projects
- Campus decarbonization and clean energy initiatives
- Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) transition plans for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty fleets
- Waste reduction and materials management plans
- Assist with documentation of sustainability projects, reports, and systemwide metrics.
- Support initiatives related to green procurement, including development of buying guides, tracking mechanisms, and reports.
- Support the SUNY Climate Corps and other student engagement programs.
- Review and recommend updates to the internal SUNY systemwide webpage, including drafting and editing content.
- Support sustainability communications and outreach, including:
- Development of student-facing materials
- Assistance with sustainability social media content (e.g., LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, X/Twitter, Facebook, and emerging platforms)
- Help develop training materials and outreach content to communicate sustainability programs, processes, and policies to the SUNY community.
Required Qualifications
- Must be a currently enrolled SUNY student.
- Proficiency with ARC GIS, Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel and PowerPoint.
- Practical experience (coursework or applied) with data analysis and data management tools, including Excel.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to manage multiple tasks and deliver outputs on tight deadlines.
- A collaborative, growth oriented team player who is willing to give and receive feedback.
- Coursework or experience in GIS, geography, environmental studies, sustainability, planning, engineering, public policy, or related fields.
- Experience with ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS StoryMaps, or other GIS platforms.
- Experience creating maps or visualizations for public or non-technical audiences.
- An understanding of sustainability topics and an interest in climate change science.
- Familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite and/or social media platforms.
- Please submit your resume and cover letter for consideration.
- This internship is only open to currently enrolled SUNY students.
- We strongly encourage first-generation college students to apply.
- We strongly encourage students from disadvantaged and frontline communities to apply and to discuss their perspectives on climate action and equity in their cover letter.